WashPost poll: Obama 51, Romney 47 in Virginia

By Maggie Haberman

10/27/12 08:18 PM EDT

Numbers that are important if true from the Washington Post, which shows President Obama getting 51 percent to Mitt Romney's 47 percent in Virginia:

Unlike in national polls, Obama still has an edge when Virginia voters are asked who better understands their financial problems, and he has not fallen behind a surging Romney on the question of who would better handle the national economy. Nor has Obama lost significant ground among self-identified independents in Virginia, as he has nationally.

The results underscore the importance of swing states like Virginia, with its 13 electoral votes, as both campaigns seek to secure a path to the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.

Perhaps the poll’s most striking finding is how many voters the two campaigns have contacted in Virginia this fall. A staggering 44 percent of likely voters polled say they’ve been contacted by the Obama campaign, 41 percent say the same of Romney’s. More than one in four of have heard from both campaigns.

That last point is one that may be subject to debate, since some voters may not be differentiating between hearing from the Romney campaign as opposed to the super PACs and outside groups supporting him, but you get the idea.

Regardless, if Obama has solidified a lead that way in a state that has been tied - and where Romney is being forced to forgo a day tomorrow thanks to Hurricane Sandy - it will make for an interesting next 10 days.